Questions and Answers for PAR-23-198, NIAID New Innovators Awards (DP2, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Yes, after you have entered the date of your terminal research degree and/or the date of clinical training completion in your eRA Commons profile, the data system will calculate the end date of your early stage investigator status.

If there has been a lapse in your research during the ten-year period after your terminal research degree or the end of clinical training, you can request an extension. In addition, NIH will approve an ESI extension of one year for childbirth within the ESI period.

In general, the NIH will consider requests to extend the early stage investigator period for reasons that can include medical concerns, disability, family care responsibilities, extended periods of clinical training, natural disasters, and active duty military service.

Any such request will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Learn more about Requesting an Extension of ESI Status.

Resubmission applications (A1) are not allowed. However, you may submit substantially the same idea or a refinement of the idea as a new application.

Although it is encouraged to take the reviewers’ comments into account when writing your new application, do not mark your changes from the earlier version, include an introduction to the application, or otherwise refer to the previous submission in your new application.

Your new application must stand on its own and not be structured as a resubmission.

Do not attach the Bibliography & References Cited in the default SF424 (R&R) Other Project Information section. If you do, this may cause processing errors for your application.

Instead, you must attach the Bibliography & References Cited in the Other Attachments section. Use the following filename: Bibliography_References_Cited.pdf

Please enter only the five-year total ($1.5 million) in the fields for "Total Federal Funds Requested" and "Total Federal & Non-Federal Funds" in the “Estimated Project Funding” section of the SF424 (R&R) Form.

Your Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs will be determined at the time of award and should not be included in the budget request. You are not required to provide a detailed budget, budget forms, or budget justification at the time of submission.

If your application is selected for funding, NIAID will request detailed budgets and applicable F&A as part of the Just-in-Time process.

If you are applying as a postdoctoral fellow, NIAID does not expect you to have a faculty position or equivalent arranged at your institution or at any other U.S.-based institution. In addition, you are not obligated to stay at your current U.S. based institution.

If you are applying as a newly independent investigator, NIAID expects you to have a faculty position or equivalent at a U.S. based institution at the time of application submission.

There are some similarities between the longstanding NIAID Career Transition Award (K22) award and this new NIAID DP2 program. Both target postdoctoral investigators, but each program has different intent.

The K22 program is geared towards a more traditional career trajectory of a postdoctoral phase (national average of five or six years) and a transition to a faculty position. This is a two-year award.

The NIAID DP2 program is geared towards a more exceptional type of postdoctoral and newly independent investigators with a highly innovative research idea, someone who is ready to start their own research group and conduct research with significant impact. This is a five-year award.

In both cases, the candidate will need to secure a faculty position in order to activate the award.

You will be eligible for the DP2 award.

We recognize that some institutions appoint postdoctoral fellows in positions with other titles although they are still in eligible non-independent, mentored training positions.

We highly encourage applicants to check with their institution to confirm that their position conforms with the eligibility requirements of the NOFO. We also encourage candidates in such positions to confirm their eligibility with the NIAID scientific/research contact (Section VII. Agency Contacts) for their area of science before they begin to prepare their applications.

It is incumbent upon the candidate to provide evidence that his or her position complies with the intent of this eligibility requirement. If a potential applicant is in a position that is not clearly identifiable as a postdoctoral training position, the request for an exception must be accompanied by an official statement of the institution’s policy (e.g., published position description in an official institutional document) which documents the position as a mentored postdoctoral training position.

No, you do not need a commitment for a position when you apply. You will have time to secure an independent position after submitting your application and will provide this information at the time of funding.

Successful applicants (i.e., one whose application has received a fundable overall impact score) will receive an approval letter from NIAID that will include the terms and conditions to activate the award.

To activate the DP2 award, you must secure an independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position at an U.S. based institution within a year of the receipt of the approval letter.

Once you secure your position, you will submit updated information about the DP2 application with the support of the sponsoring institution.